ODOT announces construction projects beginning this summer

The Ohio Department of Transportation has released its 2014 Construction Program, which contains a handful of road projects in Ashland County, including two with planned detours.

The list is composed of construction projects the agency puts out to bid to contractors, according to ODOT District 3 Public Information Specialist Joyce Miller. These are separate from the "maintenance" projects on which ODOT employees typically work. Miller added that the three road construction projects are fewer than in 2013, although ODOT participated in about 100 culvert replacements that were in the maintenance category.

"That was unprecedented, an unusually high count of maintenance work," Miller said of last year. "Looking back at last year, we have about half the number of construction projects."

The biggest project on the list is a bridge deck replacement on Ohio 89 where the road crosses Interstate 71. The project cost is estimated at $1.7 million and includes a likely 150-day detour. Bids still are being collected for the project, which is not scheduled to begin until August or early autumn.

"We're widening the bridge, a complete replacement that will have a long detour," Miller said. "But it's typical of I-71 bridges and pretty standard over a federal highway. There are currently two I-71 bridge replacements happening in Medina County, both with detours of 150 and 180 days. These long detours are not unheard of."

At ODOT's current estimate, all of which are tentative, the bridge deck replacement would cause Ohio 89 to remain closed through the winter until May 2015. The project will be sold to a contractor in July, and no official detour routes have been announced.

The first road project of the summer, a resurfacing of a 16-mile stretch of Ohio 603, will begin around June 1. The road will be redone beginning a half-mile south of Franklin Church Road near Olivesburg and continue south through the village of Mifflin and end at Ohio 39. During resurfacing, traffic will be maintained by flaggers.

"It's a pretty large section, and we'll have some more significant lane closures for bridge work when needed," Miller said. "But in general, this is not something worth closing the road over."

The project is estimated to be completed in three months around the end of summer.

The next project is a culvert replacement south of Ashland on Ohio 60, a quarter-mile north of County Road 1754. The project's bid date is coming up next week on May 22, but ODOT estimates the replacement could begin as early as July, last slightly more than a month and require a detour for 21 days.

Miller said the culvert project differs from similar replacement maintenance projects ODOT completed in 2013, adding that the replacement of this particular culvert was more "cost-effective" by enlisting a contracting company.

"This culvert is larger and requires more workers," Miller said.

Official detour routes have not been announced for motorists, but Ohio 511 and U.S. 30 will be the likely candidates for detour use, Miller said.

Each week, ODOT District 3 writes a road construction report, which is available on its website, www.dot.state.oh.us/districts/d03.

Dan Kubacki can be reached at 419-281-0581, ext. 237, or at dkubacki@times-gazette.com.